Chapter 892: Annihilation at Bihu Mountain; The Demon Concubine’s Fateful Chance

Starry Sea, beyond Hidden Sand Island.

The void rippled and twisted, two blurry figures materializing out of nothing.

An old man clad in black robes studied the compass in his hand. He glanced toward Hidden Sand Island and made a divination with nimble fingers.

Moments later, he clasped his hands before the young man beside him and said, “Young Lord, according to my divination, Shi Hai is on this island.”

The youth wore a dark robe embroidered with cloud patterns, his striking white hair cascading freely. He was handsome, cold as ancient black ice—a dangerous, otherworldly presence, hinting at the power of gods and demons.

His expression was unreadable as he stared at Hidden Sand Island. Those midnight eyes seemed bottomless, making the air grow heavy and strange.

In the next instant, dark red light burned across his skin, black mist surged, and all around, monstrous demonic forms began to take shape.

One had a human face with a dragon’s body, features twisted with malice. Another was all black, faceless except for a single gaping maw. Still others sprouted six wings and glistening scales; some masses of writhing flesh covered in tentacles.

“Whooooo—”

The black mist rolled. As demons emerged, an unspeakable terror descended over the land.

Even the old man shuddered at the sight of the Young Lord’s display, chills running down his spine, suffocated by a deep malice.

It felt like those demons were staring straight at him, poised to devour him whole.

Then, in a flash, a blood-red fiend appeared—three heads, six arms, its entire being radiating destruction, slaughter, evil, cruelty.

It was the greatest of all demons.

Six arms unfurled. In each hand, it conjured a treasure: a blade for slaughter, a sword of ruin, a claw of annihilation, a bell of death, the eye of fear, a ring of desolation.

Gripping these treasures, the blood-drenched fiend let forth an aura filled with hatred—of heaven, earth, man, self, all things in existence—as it charged toward Hidden Sand Island.

Though not a top-tier power, Hidden Sand Island was a fourth-rank island, armed with a fourth-rank grand array.

But faced with that fiend’s onslaught, the island quaked violently, barriers fissuring in every direction.

Cultivators living on the island reeled in shock when the blood-red fiend attacked. Fear overwhelmed them before they could even beg for mercy or question what was happening.

Just looking at it left them dizzy and nauseous, a wave of hatred and bloodlust sweeping through their minds.

Only Core Formation cultivators barely kept their composure, but even they faltered—their blood and magical energy in chaos, bodies wavering unsteadily.

Deep within the island, in a fourth-rank spiritual vein, Shi Hai True Lord, dressed in a brown robe, played Go against a square-faced man in yellow robes atop a centuries-old pavilion.

“What’s going on out there?”

The island lord’s face darkened at the tremor from outside. He exhaled yellow light from his nostrils, his presence intimidating.

In the cultivation world, attacking a sect’s main array was a brazen provocation.

They weren’t one of the top powers, but Hidden Sand Island was a respected Nascent Soul power.

And today, with an esteemed friend visiting, someone kicked in his front door? The insult was blatant.

Both rose instantly and left the pavilion to investigate.

When Shi Hai True Lord saw the three-headed, six-armed blood fiend looming outside the grand array, a sense of foreboding chilled his heart.

Not long ago, he’d heard about Wu Demon Island being wiped out and felt an ominous sensation.

Although the feeling vanished after a moment, as a Nascent Soul cultivator who specialized in foreseeing fortune and calamity, he took those instincts seriously.

He’d decided to visit a friend to avoid trouble.

Now, seeing the fiend, his spiritual sense screamed—the calamity wasn’t for the island, it was for him!

The bad omen vanishing before wasn’t that the threat was gone, but that someone had obscured the heavenly secrets, clouding his intuition.

Now that the crisis arrived, premonition hit him again.

“Run!”

Shi Hai True Lord, once a wandering cultivator who’d bested even Wu Gu Old Demon, knew this fiend’s owner was no ordinary foe.

Anyone who could obscure his senses and radiate this level of danger had to be truly frightening.

Especially since this blood fiend seemed forged from the ultimate demonic technique. Every weapon it wielded radiated the aura of a spirit treasure, gleaming with fourth-rank power.

Who wouldn’t be chilled to the core at that sight?

“Brother Huang, who are these people? Why come to your Hidden Sand Island looking for trouble?”

A fourth-tier escape talisman flickered out of his sleeve as Shi Hai True Lord tried to delay for time, attempting to let the island master stall the attackers while he found a moment to flee.

As for fighting side-by-side? Anyone bold enough to storm their gates must have an unstoppable backer.

Staying alive was the wiser choice.

Would the island lord be in danger? Having friends was supposed to help in times of need.

If the island lord could hold the enemy up for a bit, that’d repay years of friendship.

“Could this be the one who destroyed Wu Demon Island a while back?”

The island lord was well-informed and had of course heard of the Wu Demon Island incident.

Whenever a Nascent Soul faction got obliterated, word spread fast.

“Looks like I’ll be needing your help for this one, Brother Shi Hai.”

The island lord nodded to Shi Hai, hoping for aid, then shot skyward.

“Who are you, and why attack Hidden Sand Island?” he roared.

The white-haired youth’s eyes were unfathomable. He glanced at the island lord with a gaze so flat and cold, it radiated only danger—no shred of feeling.

The black-robed elder flicked out a diamond-shaped spike, aiming straight for where the fiend battered the array.

This spike was terrifying—a forbidden breaking treasure, howling with wind and thunder, crammed with profound runes. It punched a gaping hole in the grand array, creating a breach that couldn’t easily be repaired.

“What—?”

Both the island lord and Shi Hai True Lord were shaken.

Treasures were rare in the cultivation world—most Nascent Soul cultivators only owned one or two, often weapons, armor, or escape tools.

Collectors rarely bothered to forge special-purpose ones like breaking treasures, not unless they led a major sect.

That devastating spike alone marked the enemy as extraordinary.

“So you come here, acting like tyrants, ready to wipe us out with a single word? Think we’re so easy to bully?”

Shi Hai True Lord snorted coldly and turned to the island lord, a sign he was willing to fight together.

Though wary, the island lord refused to back down with the foe nearly inside his home. With the grand array and Shi Hai beside him, what was there to fear?

He surged with Nascent Soul power, summoned his soul-bound treasure, merging it with the island’s array to counter the blood-red fiend.

Yet as he pushed back, Shi Hai True Lord suddenly triggered the escape talisman, wielded his divine artifact, tore a hole in the void, and vanished.

“Brother Shi Hai?”

The island lord was stunned—what was Shi Hai up to?

The black-robed old man watched on with a mocking glint, finger tugging a black thread binding the void.

As the white-haired youth saw this, a crescent-shaped blood mark flared on his brow, and he dove into the void.

The monstrous, blood-soaked fiend swerved and followed, half between reality and the void, overlapping with the young man’s form, radiating dreadful power.

After only a few breaths, the blood fiend vanished.

The black-robed elder melded into the void, gone without a trace.

Worse, the island lord realized his friend Shi Hai True Lord’s aura had vanished from the world.

“What…”

His throat went dry, hand trembling under his sleeve.

Frightening. Beyond terrifying.

He hadn’t even glimpsed the true fight.

But he knew his good friend Shi Hai True Lord was facing certain doom.

To end a Nascent Soul cultivator so quickly—a horrifying display of power.

If they wanted, it would be nothing for these people to destroy his island and kill him too.

“Who are they? Why did Shi Hai get tangled up with such monsters?”

The island lord couldn’t calm down, full of confusion.

There were plenty of Nascent Soul cultivators in the Starry Sea.

But aside from a few new ones, most were known to each other.

He wasn’t exactly strong, but he knew nearly every Nascent Soul in the region. He’d never seen these two before.

Even now, with the threat gone, he dared not lower the grand array, just in case they doubled back.

After a while, still restless, he gathered his fortune and left Hidden Sand Island, heading to a big city to lie low and avoid future calamity.

Who could blame him, after today?

In the void, where black, hazy turbulence swirled like dark rivers, the white-haired youth and black-robed old man stood still.

The youth’s right hand transformed—covered in jet-black runes, seething with demonic aura, talons sharp as swords.

Every ray of light seemed drawn into that grasp, flooding with evil intent.

“Please, spare my life—I don’t know what offense I gave you!”

He was holding a pale, terrified Nascent Soul spirit; Shi Hai True Lord’s soul form.

Shi Hai True Lord frantically begged, clueless about this enemy or why he’d been targeted.

As a wanderer who’d survived this long, he’d always known who to cross and who to avoid. Unless there was a top treasure in play, he kept away from the great clans.

But the white-haired youth ignored his pleas, simply glancing at the black-robed old man standing half a body behind him.

The old man tore a sliver of essence from Shi Hai’s soul and stowed it in a porcelain vial.

Seeing this, the white-haired youth let black mist coil around his hand, engulfing Shi Hai’s wailing soul, swallowing it whole.

“Young Lord, where to next?” the old man asked quietly.

“Jiang Kingdom.”

The white-haired youth finally looked up. Deep in his eyes, a flicker of emotion stirred.

As for the fate of Hidden Sand Island, nothing much was heard around the Starry Sea.

One reason was that the island lord, afraid to court trouble, hushed everything up, forbidding rumors.

Another was how swiftly the battle ended—few witnessed a thing.

Still, as a fourth-tier island, some intelligence agencies stationed there quickly reported the news to interested parties.

The Six Paths Palace, as the top power in the Starry Sea, got word first.

When Wu Demon Island fell, most suspected Six Paths Palace. They were notorious, never shying from such dark deeds—sometimes even claiming them publicly.

But no one liked being scapegoated for something this big.

Especially now, as the palace’s own affairs were shaky.

The Demon Concubine, who managed the palace, had vanished without a trace.

Six Paths Demon Lord, powerful as he was, had been closed in seclusion for decades.

Even when his consort disappeared, he hadn’t emerged—he just had the palace’s diviners search for clues, leaving the Four Sages to manage everything.

The leaders realized that unless the palace was wiped out, there’d be no breaking the Lord’s retreat.

So in recent years, the palace had kept a low profile, avoiding outside trouble.

“Gather info on Wu Gu and Shi Hai—their known connections, whether they ever explored any secret realms or ruins together.”

True Lord Nightmare, one of the palace’s Four Sages, gave the order to his subordinates and then asked if there was any news of the Demon Concubine.

“No news, sir.”

True Lord Nightmare sighed.

Although their diviners, at great cost, had prophesied that the Demon Concubine’s fate was tangled—perilous, yet bound for a massive opportunity—it still stung to see her plight treated with indifference.

If the Demon Lord truly cared and emerged to help, couldn’t she seize her chance and climb to new heights?

He shook his head quietly, returning to his cave and carefully unrolling a painting from the shelf. His eyes filled with longing.

The woman painted there was breathtakingly beautiful and regal—enchanting in a way that defied words.

Any Nascent Soul cultivator from Six Paths Palace would instantly recognize this beauty as their Lady—Demon Concubine of Six Paths, wife of the Demon Lord.

Although the palace was founded by the Demon Lord, many had joined solely for her.

Many a cultivator or faction had bent the knee after succumbing to her charm.

True Lord Nightmare was counted among her admirers.

Land of Eternal Night, Guihua City.

This city blazed brighter than day—by far the liveliest in the land.

Its ruler was the White Bone Demon Empress.

No one knows where she came from, only that a decade ago, a palace of white bone appeared from nowhere and changed everything.

At the heart of town, the palace sat atop columns of fire springs. It was her court.

Ordinary folk were forbidden to approach—the only ones allowed near the White Bone Demon Palace were her ghostly maidservants.

Not even the local immortals or defected residents had the right to set foot within.

Right now, on the 999 skull-carved steps up to the throne, in the Empress’s own quarters, the air steamed with fragrant warmth.

Eighteen lovely ghost maidservants stood around an ornate bathing pool, waving ceremonial fans and carrying baskets of petals.

Within the pool, billows of mist rose, red petals floating atop the perfect water—luxury beyond words.

Through the haze, one could glimpse a woman of stunning beauty, noble and dignified, bathing comfortably.

Her snow-white skin shimmered, her dark hair gathered high. Neck and collarbone gleamed like jade, a glimpse of her curves promising breathtaking allure.

Half her ample chest was hidden beneath the surface, but the lines and droplets glimmered, radiating an indescribable seduction.

This was the mistress of the White Bone Palace—the Demon Concubine of Six Paths, Si Guihua. She was Guihua City’s new ruler.

The water rippled as the bathing beauty suddenly frowned, murmuring a quiet “Mm,” cheeks flushed with faint red.

Her voice was low and soft, not flaunted but mesmerizing in its restraint.

Moments later, her red lips let out a breathy, lingering sigh, sultry and deep.

“Splish—”

The pool trembled, waves rippling out. The flush on her cheeks deepened, her beauty radiant.

She finally sighed, her enchanting gaze resting on the water, lashes lowered.

Her pink lips parted slightly, breath quickening, revealing a hint of temptation.

As the ripples settled, a ghostly maiden in palace dress rose from the pool, face pale and transparent, respectfully kneeling before the Demon Concubine.

“Sigh.” The Demon Concubine regarded her maid coolly, a touch relieved but still tinged with loss.

“Continue,” she whispered, leaning back and stretching a leg out of the water—its beauty almost otherworldly.

The ghost maid, shrouded in cold mist, reverently cradled that perfect foot, worshipful as ever. Two more ghost maids approached, helping to quell the heat burning inside their mistress.

“Just a little longer. Once I’ve gathered enough resources, I’ll be able to leave this place.”

Lying in the pool, eyes hazy, she let her ghostly maids tend to her aching body.

Over the years trapped in the Land of Eternal Night, Si Guihua had flourished.

By hunting strange creatures, she’d amassed soul crystals and trained her ghost maidservants; more importantly, she’d gained a major stroke of fortune—an alliance with a Nether Demon.

A demon priest reached out to her, gifting her a Demon Soul Crystal, eager for partnership.

With those crystals, her powers awakened fully and kept steadily growing.

Had she not been trapped here, she’d have broken through to mid Nascent Soul long ago.

The only drawback was, the more she absorbed the Demon Soul Crystals, the stronger her demonic desire became, often flaring out of control.

So every so often, she needed to bathe and let her ghostly maidservants help her channel cold energy, putting out the burning in her body.

“The pain I’ve endured here, I’ll return a hundredfold!”

She could leave the Land of Eternal Night but chose to stay, working with the demon priest to sabotage the Sealing Array and train her White Bone Ghost King and ghost maidservants.

Once she got out, she’d have the strength of a mid Nascent Soul old master. She’d avenge herself on Xuanmu Daoist and join the ranks of the Starry Sea’s greatest: Shen Jianjia, Star King, Yue Zun, and Zhenhai Patriarch.

Just imagining revenge on Xuanmu Daoist set her demonic desires burning.

Over ten years, she could never forget what he’d done to her. The hatred only deepened.

Liang Kingdom, Barebody Sect.

“Don’t worry. Do whatever you need to—if mistakes are made, I’ll handle it. No need to fear True Lord Incinerating Wither, treat them as you would anyone else.”

Lu Changsheng spoke to his son, Lu Lingxiao.

The Liang-Yue War had ended, but as deputy city lord of Immortal City of Damengze, he couldn’t just walk away.

He was needed to coordinate with the Jiang-Yue forces, managing assets and prisoners of war.

Although True Lord Incinerating Wither had acted as liaison for the demonic captives before, now the war was over, so all arrangements fell to Lu Changsheng to finalize.

Lu Lingxiao handled most duties as young lord, but still had to ask advice sometimes.

After giving his son leave to make his own decisions, Lu Changsheng couldn’t help but sigh to himself:

“Conquering a country is easy. Governing one is hard.”

During the war, his concerns were simple—a banner, a sword, a bird, that was enough.

Now, dealing with the tedious aftermath was far more troublesome.

And that was just the start.

He could already foresee the headaches ahead when they fully took over Jiang Kingdom: rogue cultivator unrest, demonic infiltration, Myriad Beasts Mountain Range’s chaos—all problems for him alone, no one else in front to shoulder them.

While he had a moment, Lu Changsheng went to see Li Feiyu.

“Feiyu, it’s been a long time.”

After decades, their meeting was naturally less relaxed than in the old days.

One was now deputy lord of a top-tier city, the other a defeated nation’s captive.

Fortunately, Li Feiyu had had plenty of time to adjust, and smiled wryly, letting go of the past.

“Guess I made a fool of myself.”

Looking at the blue-robed, otherworldly Lu Changsheng, it was hard for Li Feiyu to match him with the friend he remembered.

“Nonsense. Any False Core cultivator is someone to be reckoned with.”

Lu Changsheng poured them both a drink from a storage pouch. “As for me, it’s all luck—stumbled into some major opportunity.”

“No contest. I knew you had luck, but who could have guessed you’d rise this far?” Li Feiyu shook his head, amazed. “If I’d known, I never would have gone to Qingluan Immortal City. Should have just watched your house, kept guard for you.”

“Plenty to guard. Xiao Hei handles most things already,” Lu Changsheng joked.

Li Feiyu knew Xiao Hei was the Nine Nether Hound—back then, when the pup had just hit the second rank, he’d worried Lu Changsheng couldn’t tame it.

“That dog’s nearly third rank by now, huh?” Li Feiyu ventured, out of the loop in matters of hounds and monsters.

“Already crossed into third rank,” Lu Changsheng replied with a faint smile.

“…” Li Feiyu was speechless. All those years of struggle, and even his friend’s dog had outpaced him.

He remembered, more than a century ago, Lu Changsheng had hugged a newly caught Nine Nether pup to the Chijing Gang, worried he’d fail at beast taming.

Now, that pup had become a reigning beast king.

With Lu Changsheng’s resources, it only made sense that his pets and children flourished.

“Got plans for the future? White Tiger Mountain is probably too small for you now. If you come back, I’ll find a good spiritual vein for you.”

Lu Changsheng saw his old friend felt his years, and feared he wouldn’t beat the odds for long.

“Never mind. I’ve no reason to return, and the Supreme Elder’s likely moving to Jiang Kingdom soon anyway.”

Li Feiyu knocked back his drink, with no interest in founding a clan or relying on friends.

“Fine. Still, if you need anything, just say the word. Even in Asura Sect, I have some pull.”

Lu Changsheng saw through his friend’s character and didn’t push—he’d look for ways to help indirectly via True Lord Incinerating Wither or the Asura Sect.

Or maybe get someone to cure Li Feiyu’s shattered core.

“Then I’ll be counting on you, Changsheng True Lord.”

“Anytime,” Lu Changsheng laughed, raising his glass.

Lu Changsheng spent the next days resting at Barebody Sect as Changsheng True Lord.

He’d meant to take Qian Zhuyan to the Endless Desert to help her avenge herself on the Ancient Puppet Sect.

But after the fight with Mo Luo, most of her puppet formation was ruined, and her own puppet body badly damaged.

Qian Zhuyan preferred to repair herself and make her own fourth-rank puppet before taking revenge.

Lu Changsheng didn’t push, helping plan her upgrades instead.

Not long after, news of the Liang-Yue War spread from Liang to Yue, Wu, Jiang, and even the Endless Desert.

“The war’s over already!?”

Cultivators all over Yue, Jiang, and Wu were dumbfounded.

They’d known the Jiang-Yue army was pushing deep into Liang, but this was fast—lightning fast.

After all, it should take months just to march that distance, much less fight.

But then details emerged—True Lord Yangming masterminding the war, killing True Lord Qianren, with True Lord Xuanjian and True Lord Juejian taking Beast God Mountain, capturing True Lord Nine Spirits.

No wonder the war ended so quickly—overwhelming top-tier force.

In past wars, top powers were closely matched, so victory took years of attrition.

But with lopsided strength, it ended in a flash.

News of the City Lord of Dameng and True Lord Yangming’s deeds spread like wildfire.

Soon, all of the Southern Desolation and Northern Region would know a new Nascent Soul giant had risen in Jiang Kingdom.

A man who singlehandedly turned a war, capturing six Nascent Soul lords.

Although Liang wasn’t the greatest country, it was strong enough that such a feat would shock all rivals.

It sent a clear warning to every Nascent Soul clan.

Old worries flared again—once, True Lord Xuanjian and True Lord Juejian had fretted that True Lord Yangming would draw trouble from old foes if he appeared again.

Now, those days were over.

With such fearsome power, who would dare cause him trouble?

Anyone who’d dared in the past could only pray that he didn’t come looking for vengeance.

At the same time, the reputation of Talisman Lu Family, Changsheng True Lord, and Master Miaoge soared.

First, with True Lord Yangming shining so brightly, every move by Changsheng True Lord was scrutinized.

Second, at Huarong Immortal City, he and Lu Miaoge, Lu Wangshu had demonstrated near-late Core Formation power.

Third, besides sons Lu Ping’an, Lu Qingxian, Lu Qingshan, he now had a daughter, Lu Wangshu, also at Core Formation.

Counting daughter-in-law Wang Yanjing breaking through at Bihu Mountain, the whole Talisman Lu Family had grown into a dominant force.

There was even talk that Changsheng True Lord was blessed with an unrivaled spirit body, and had found ancient ruins and relics, befriending the City Lord of Dameng and Yangming True Lord early on.

Others speculated that Changsheng True Lord once saved the Young Lord of Dameng, earning Yangming’s gratitude and full support.

Some claimed Yangming True Lord was a reincarnated master, once helped by Changsheng True Lord, now repaying every favor a hundredfold.

Whatever the rumors, the Lu Family’s rise was tied to Dameng and Yangming True Lord.

How else to explain such an unlikely legend?

For his part, Lu Changsheng didn’t care to respond.

He’d expected these rumors once he entered the war as City Lord of Dameng.

If not for worries about exposing everyone to danger, he wouldn’t mind revealing all his identities at once.

But as long as Immortal City soared, the Lu Family didn’t have to fear prying eyes.

Once Hong Lian broke through and the family grew stronger, he’d reveal everything for good.

Maybe he’d even hang the Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Mirror above Jiang Kingdom, blasting any foe who dared approach.

Qingluan Immortal City.

Once a haven for wanderers, it had faded under the loss of its master and the impact of war.

Lu Qingxuan hadn’t joined the front. He mostly trained in Qingluan, only rarely returning home.

He was among the first to hear the war’s end, and was knocked breathless by it.

His father alone had turned everything upside down, capturing six Nascent Soul lords.

“Whew.”

He drew in a deep breath, letting it out to calm his pounding heart.

But the shock remained, like storm-tossed waves raging inside.

Meanwhile, a blaze of fiery red light shot from deep in the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range, landing outside Qingluan Immortal City.

A resplendent beauty stepped out—her fiery hair shimmered like red clouds.

She wore a scarlet gown that glimmered with radiance—her stature proud, her charm unmistakable.

Even without showing her power, her Core Formation aura inspired awe, making every passing cultivator bow their head, no one daring to offend.

She entered the city and immediately sought out the latest rumors.

“So, he hasn’t come back…”

Seeing as she suspected, that True Lord Qingluan was away from Jiang Kingdom, Xu Ruoyin quietly mused.

She kept digging for any news about Jiang Kingdom, Dameng, the Lu Family, or the Beast Taming Xu Family.

A Jade Slip finally arrived with news—City Lord Dameng and Yangming True Lord were one and the same. Not long ago, he’d put down the war by himself and captured six Nascent Soul lords. The beauty trembled head to toe, her face freezing in shock.